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Heseltine takes full control of Haymarket

IT has taken him half a century, but Lord Heseltine, the former deputy prime minister, has taken full control of his publishing empire, Haymarket.

A handful of remaining shareholders were bought out in the past two months from the business, which owns trade titles such as Campaign and PR Week, and special interest reads like Gramophone and Autocar.

Lindsay Masters, Simon Tindall and David Fraser ran the business when Heseltine was a government minister and his 51% holding was held in a blind trust. He returned a decade ago when Labour swept to power.

"It was agreed I would buy them out, and over the years that is what has been done," Heseltine said.

The company, Britain's largest private magazine publisher, with more than 100 titles, websites and exhibitions, marked its 50th anniversary this week.

The shares were bought back at different times for different prices, making a group valuation